If you like something…

Author Notes:If you are gluten-free, and as fussy as Maya Klein (my genius coauthor of Flavor Flours, from which this recipe is excerpted—check out the book for more uses and variations!) and I, you might be interested in some of the details of our biscuit testing. We tested three different brands of rice flour (not sweet rice, a.k.a. mochi flour) for these biscuits: Bob’s Red Mill, Authentic Foods Super Fine rice flour, and a Thai brand of rice flour, either Erawan or Flying Horse (both of which are even finer than the Authentic Foods Super Fine) found in Asian groceries. Excellent results were had with each of the three flours, but the nicest browning and texture came with using the Thai flour. Authentic Foods came in second.

Be sure to get the regular (red label) not the sweet rice (green label). And do not assume that rice flour that is as fine as this will work for all recipes—even in my book, Thai flour works for some but not all recipes AND it should be measured by weight, not volume. —Alice Medrich

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes on low speed; the dough will be very stiff. It is important to beat the dough long enough or the biscuits won't rise well; don't worry about overbeating.

Form the dough into a thick log, 2 inches in diameter. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400° F.

Cut the log into 12 thick slices. Place the slices close together on the pan for pull-apart biscuits or 2 inches apart for separate biscuits and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until browned on top and bottom. Serve immediately or cool on a rack and toast before serving.

That was a quick reply from you! I understood it may not need butter because of cream and yogurt. But still was curious for the reason behind the "butter" in the title. Thank you Alice! You were one of my inspirations for pursuing my pastry arts program.